Non-alignment: an analysis of its interpretation and application in Kenya (1963-1986)

Abstract

This study attempts to determine whether Kenya has been non-aligned in practice. The period covered is from 1963 to 1986, however these dates are not strictly adhered to. The central question in the study is to establish when and with regard to which aspects of non-alignment one can talk of Kenya as having been non-aligned or otherwise. In Chapter One an attempt is made to justify the study on grounds that Kenya's interpretation and applicatj.on of the principle of non-alignment 1S of interest both to Kenya's policy-makers and to students of international relations. In the same chapter a review of literature is made and this further establishes the need for a study fike the present one and reveals some of the allegations which have been made about Kenya's non-alignment. To facilitate the study, Power Theory is adopted and from it a hypothesis is drawn to the effect that in practice states find it hard to be non-aligned. For a method of analysis we have borrowed largely from Helge Hveem and Peter Willetts' approach which consists of the analysis of a country's military, economic, diplomatic and United Nations General Assembly voting patterns as indices of alignment. However we

have made certain significant modifications on this method to suit our purposes. Prior to embarking on actual analysis of Kenya's position vis-a-vis the implementation of non-alignment, in Chapters Two and Three the general aspects of nonalignment and non-alignment in Kenya's foreign policy are discussed respectively. The discussion on the general aspects of nOllalignment is justified by the observation that the common concerns of the member-states of the Non-Aligned Movement have become the fundamental principles upon which the Non-Aligned countries base their decisions. On the other hand, thediscussionsof Kenya1s foreign policy and how non-alignment fits into it is justified by a contention that " discussing Kenya's non-alignment -. without also discussing the general foreign policy of the country would present an incomplete picture since Kenya's non-alignment is part and parcel of the country1s foreign policy. Chapters Four, Five and Six are devoted to analysing Kenya1s practice of non-alignment, with each aspect of the principle receiving a separate analysis. In the first section of Chapter Se